PlayStation 3 launch date and price revealed

[PS3] Plus! Updated DualShock replaces boomerang controller

Tuesday 9 May 2006 PlayStation 3 will be released in Europe on 17 November - and there will be two different versions available at launch. The cheaper incarnation of Sony's next-gen console will feature a 20GB hard drive and will cost 499 euros (around £340), while a 60GB version will retail at 599 euros (around £410).

The console - which will initially be available only in black - will also be released in the US on 17 November, while the Japanese launch will take place six days earlier on 11 November. Two million PlayStation 3s will be available on day one. That total will increase to four million by the end of the year and six million by the end of March 2007.

Above: The new contoller looks much the same asPS2's DualShock

PS3's launch details were finally confirmed today by Sony at its annual pre-E3 conference at the Sony Pictures Entertainment Studios in Los Angeles, where the company also revealed a new version of the PS3 controller that includes a motion detector.

The original boomerang-shaped PS3 controller, which was unveiled at last year's E3, has been ditched completely. Instead, the new pad looks much like the existing DualShock, with the addition of a central button that will be used to launch online gaming services (similar to the Xbox 360 pad).